Construction toy



A. L. NEWBERY CONSTRUCTION TOY Sept. 18, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1947 p 1951 A. L. NEWBERY 2,568,557

CONSTRUCTION TOY Filed June 5, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AFhwv L. Nelwbeu Patented Sept. 18, 1951 IGONSTRUCTION Tor Arthur Leonard Newbery, Robertsbridge; England Application June a, 1947, Serial No. 752,702 In Great Britain January 29, 1940 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires January 29, 1960 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to sets of toy-building units and has for its object to provide a new and improved set of such units by the use of which the most varied forms of toys or models may be built.

According to the invention a set of toy-building units comprises a base member, a plurality of blocks or other elements, and means associated with or adapted to be associated with the base member to clamp a plurality of the blocks or elements firmly together on the base member so that they are not readily displaceable therefrom, in order to form a toy.

Wheels are preferably provided together with means for attaching them to the base member in order to enable wheeled toys to be built. If desired, however, a wheeled base may be provided comprising a substantially rectangular base member with wheels already attached thereto, a pair of wheels, one on each side, being provided near each end of the rectangle.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a base member, which as shown is a wheeled base as aforesaid, upon which blocks or other elements may be mounted,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of various blocks provided for mounting upon and/or attachment to the base member,

. Figure 3 is a similar view of other elements which may be attached to certain of the blocks shown in Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of wheeled block members provided for a purpose to be described.

Figure 5 illustrates two sizes of spring-jawed cotter pins which may be employed in the attachment of the blocks and other elements to the base member,

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the box in which the set of toy-building units is contained, and

Figure '7 illustrates in perspective one construction of toy built with certain of the units of the set.

In the set of toy-building units illustrated in the drawings the blocks a. to it, Figure 2, are adapted for mounting upon the wheeled base w, for example when a vehicular toy is to be built, and when the selected blocks are mounted thereon they are clamped together by means provided upon or adapted to be attached to the base in order to form a toy or model. or the basis thereof, the various blocks of which are not easily displaced by inadvertence. Elements 1' to 12, Figure 3, are in turn adapted for attachment to the blocks a to h or certain of them, as desired. The wheeled base w comprises a base member I in the form of a substantially rectangular piece of wood or other material provided with wheels 2, a pair of which, one on each side, is attached to the base member l near each end thereof by headed pins 3. The wheeled base w is provided, preferably along its longitudinal centre line, as shown, with a number of apertures 4, 5 and 6, preferably disposed in three series as illustrated in Figure l and which pass through the base from top to bottom. A springjawed cotter pin 22 or q or like member thrust into any of these apertures, usually one of the apertures 6, forms an upstanding stud or pin acting as an abutment member in a manner to be described. Mounted upon one end of the base w and also on the longitudinal centre line thereof is a post 1 provided with a tapped horizontal thrust in one of the apertures, for example one of the series 6 towards the other end of the base, form the aforesaid means for clamping together a plurality of the blocks or elements a to 71.

mounted on the base between the cotter pin and the set screw, the former being upstanding from the base, for example behind the furthest block of the plurality to provide an abutment,

while the latter is screwed into firm contact with the nearest block of the plurality in order to exert endwise pressure on the plurality of blocks and clamp them firmly together upon the base, so that they are not readily displaceable from the latter.

If desired, other forms of holding or clamping means may be provided. For example, a spring bow or other suitable form of plate spring may be located at each end of the base w; or eccentrics or volute spring devices may be provided at one or both ends of the base for the same purpose, as will readilybe understood.

The blocks or other elements are preferably of various shapes and sizes so chosen that the most varied forms of toys or models may be built. For example, the set of blocks or elements and the wheeled base may be so designed that a model motor truck, trailer, railway engine, sports car, boat, steam truck, or like toys may be built therefrom. As will be evident from 3 Figure 2, the block a is more or less parallelopipedic in form and is of substantially square cross-section with its upper edges chamfered at It]. A bore H is provided in the upper surface 12 of the. block towards the front surface l3 thereof and a; second bore I4 is provided in the front surface [3 towards the upper surface l2. The bores H and [4 lie in the central vertical longitudinal plane of the block and thus inter sect but preferably do not extend completely through the block. The two blocks b and 121 are similar to each other and aresimilar to the V block a except that they are only half its length and have a bore [5 only in their upper surface. Each of the blocks a, b and b is useful, for example, in forming the bonnet of a toy motor vehicle as well as for other purposes. 0 may be formed from a parallelopipedic piece of material from which a part of over half its length and depthis cut away to leave a vertical surface Iii-and a horizontal surface I'I- -joined-by a bend [8: The remaining" shallow front surface [9' of the'block 'c is provided with two bores I'll-while the upper horizontal surface 2| is provided with two bores 22' of-the same spacing. The block 0 is useful, for example, in forming a portion of the drivers'cabin of a model motor truckand the part cut away from the original block from'which c is produced constitutes the blockd which may be employed to represent the boot or rear portion of a toy motor vehicle body. Two blocks e and-e are-provided which are similar in all respects. These blocks are of approximately half the depth and the same width as the blocks already described and are of the bowedshape shown with bores 23, 24 and 25 disposed therethrough on their longitudinal The spacing of the bores 24 and centre lines; 25' is equal to that of the apertures 4, 5 and 6.

These blocks e and e may be used for example as how and stern portions in the construction of a' model boat. The two blocks f and f are also identical with each other and are of the same depth and overall width as the blocks e and e tion removedtherefrom at 26-, as shown, to leave an arch-shaped block. The portions removed from, the spaces 26'" of the blocks 1 andf are used toformtwo identical blocks 9 and g which construction of model armoured cars or; like toys, 1

or as swivel members, packing pieces or the like. A block h of substantially rectangular shape'in plan with arcuate ends is provided with bores 29 and 30 extending therethrough from top to bottom these bores being formed-on the longitudinal centre line of theblock as shown. This block may be employed'as a packing element; The blocks a. to already described are employed, as aruleby moun'ting' them upon the wheeled, basew although they; need not necessarily, of course, be sc used: In addition to the. blocks a toh othereler-nents i to Figure 3-; may

be provided which ,may be attached, and are primarilyintended for attachment tqhertainof the blocks a to h; by means ofcotter pins. Thus,

The; block.

Each consists of a piece of material of rectangular-shape in plan with a U-shaped porthe element i is a thin rectangular sheet which may, for example, be attached to the block 0 to form the roof of a drivers cabin of a motor vehicle, apertures 3| of the same spacing as the bores 29 or 22 being provided for this purpose. A. further centrally disposedv aperture 32 is preferably formed towards the other endof the element 2'. The element? is similar to that just described except that it is shorter and is not pro- .vided with a further aperture such as 32; the

apertures 31 and 33 of the elements 2' and 7' respectively are of course spaced the same distance apart. Elements is and 70 each consist of a rod- 3.4 and. av short sleeve 35 fixed thereon, as

, shown, the shorter end 34a of the rod being adapted to be thrust into an aperture such for example as the bores 28 in the blocks g and g or the bores l5 of the blocks b and b to form a model gun to be mounted, for example, 'upon a toy armoured car. The elements Z, m and n consist .ofcylindrical blocks .of dilierent; lengths,

each having, a shortpeg 36, 3*! and 38; .respe c =tively projecting, concentricallyfrom oneend while the. element l also ;,has a oncentric bore 39 in the opposite end. These elements may be:

used to represent funnels 0t toyrailway'engines, boats or the like.

short cotter pins q or. in the case of elements such as l, m and n, for example, by thrusting the pegs 3t, 31 and 38:into bores such as II and. it, are mounted upon the wheeled. base wand l when the various blocks are properly mounted in. position a cotter .pin, either, p, or gas is found most suitable, is thrust throughth aperture;

such as E in the base nearest theblockat one are clamped or held together upon the base.

The. various blocks of the Iset'; 'or at least. the

blocks a toare preferably allcut from a single length of wood or substantiallysquare crosssection and it has been assumed in the fore ing description, particularly in-relation "to, the blocks f; f 9 and 9 that the blocks areso made.

It will be understood however that they mayf equally well be moulded in a synthetic resin or' other, thermo-plastic material." If desired the wheeled base and blocks or other'elements' may;

be contained in a wooden box 1' FigllIEEGJWiGhiE slider lid 3. This box 1- in the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in thedrawings is provided withv suitable pairs o,f .apertl res 40 and H in its bottom to enable wheels, similar tothe wheels 2 of the wheeled" base w; to be'secured therebeneath. Thus, by the'pro'vision of two additional pairs of wheels fly-Figure4; nounted upon blocks 10 and 0 forming cross members'on axle blocks having pairs of apertures 43 thereirr of the same spacing asthepairs of apertures 40 and M theboX r may'have an axle block and wheels secured therebeneath at one or both ends It will be appreciated that'the pairs of apertures 43' pass through the blocks -0 and o from top tobottomand are ofisettrom the cntreline of theblocks so that pins Atf b'y which the wheels 42 are secured to the blocks do obstruct the apertures; 'Tl'iebottom of -tlie-box is also lpro vided with a singlefurther aperture 44 at eachend to enable the box to-be-secured to the wheeled base w by passing a cotter pin p or q through the respective apertures 6 and 44 so that, with the blocks or elements mounted on the wheeled base to form a toy motor truck, a sixor eight.- wheeled truck is formed by the attachment of the box.

A six-wheeled toy motor truck so constructed is illustrated in Figure '7. It will be seen that one of the blocks b or b is mounted on the wheeled base w adjacent the screw 8 to form the bonnet of the vehicle while the block is mounted therebehind. The element 7' is secured upon the block 0 as shown by thrusting two cotter pins q into the registering apertures 33 and 20 of the element and block respectively so that together they form the drivers cabin of the truck. Immediately behind the block 0 a cotter pin 13 is thrust into one of the apertures of the base w and the screw 8 is tightened to clamp the blocks b and c rigidly between the screw and the cotter pin. The box 1" has one of the wheeled axle blocks 0 or o secured therebeneath by two of the cotter pins 22 thrust through apertures 4| and 43 respectively and. is articulated to the wheeled base to by a cotter pin q thrust through the front aperture 44 of the box and into one of the apertures 5 in the wheeled base, the element It being interposed so that the cotter pin also passes through the apertures 29 or 30 thereof in order to secure horizontal alignment of the box 1" with the wheeled base w.

It will be appreciated that models constructed as described form rigid and durable toys, the various parts of which are not easily displaced by inadvertence, which may however be readily dismantled when desired and the blocks or elements utilised to build other models.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a wheeled base including a rectangular shaped body member, a series of apertures spaced along the longitudinal center line of the body member, an upstanding post fixed to the front end of the body and having a tapped. horizontal bore therethrough, an adjustable set screw in the horizontal bore, and a vertically extending stop pin mounted in a selected one of the apertures, and. a plurality of separable blocks mounted on the base, said blocks defining a toy character, the

stop pin engaging the rearmost side of the rear block and the set screw engaging the foremost block of the assembled blocks to thereby clamp and hold the blocks in assembled relation.

2. In a toy trailer truck, the combination comprising a truck member having a wheeled base, a trailer body having a removable top plate, apertures through the bottom. of the trailer body and front and rear detachable wheel sections attached to the body bottom by pins extending through the apertures and into the wheel sections, a connecting block having vertical apertures through the front and rear ends thereof, and a pin extending through the truck bottom and into the rearmost aperture of the connecting block, said connecting block being attached to the truck member base, and a vertical post having a horizontal bore therethrough and extending from the front side of the truck base, an adjustable set screw in the bore, and a plurality of separable blocks, the rearmost of which abuts the front of the trailer body, said set screw engaging the frontmost block and adjustable to clamp the blocks between the trailer lbOdY and the set screw.

ARTHUR LEONARD NEWBERY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 66,014 Gardner JLme 25, 1867 187,117 Frampton Feb. 6, 1877 195,689 Quackenbush Sept. 25, 1877 891,091 Mouthuy June 16, 1908 1,192,530 Kirk July 25, 1916 1,479,209 Topp Jan. 1, 1924 1,954,708 Mass Apr. 10, 1934 1,974,838 Schmid Sept. 25, 1934 2,092,687 Yancey Sept. 7, 1937 2,098,124 Yancey Nov. 2, 1937 2,218,394 Elliott Oct. 15, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 706,201 France June 20, 1931 537,442 Great Britain June 23, 1941 

